


Tainted

by Angelofmusic46



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender, 魔道祖师 - 墨香铜臭 | Módào Zǔshī - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù
Genre: Alternate Universe - Avatar & Benders Setting, Baby Wei Ying is a little shit with his bending, F/M, Gusu is air, M/M, Original Character(s), Phew that's a lot of characters to put in, Qinghe is earth, Qishan is fire what a surprise, Yunmeng is water, but everything changed when the wens attacked, lanling is metal I guess bc they're hella rich, maybe add more, rating may go up??? Maybe???
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-22
Updated: 2019-09-07
Packaged: 2020-03-09 21:00:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,403
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18924928
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Angelofmusic46/pseuds/Angelofmusic46
Summary: Wei Ying discovers his unique bending abilities at a young age, and is taken in by the YunMengJiang clan for training.  As the world he knows teeters on the edge of disaster, he must find a way to bring balance between the five clans and the Human and Spirit realms.  Inspired by Avatar: The Last Airbender.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I've had this idea for a while, and decided to write this! Enjoy!

"Tell me a story mama."

The woman snuggled closer to her son on the small bed, stroking his soft hair and kissing his head.

"What would you like to hear, little rabbit?"

The boy giggled at her use of the pet name. On his other side a man laid down as best as he could and kissed his wife and son on their foreheads.

"I want to hear about when you fought ten rogue spirits at once!"

"Again? You heard it last night, are you sure you don't want another?"

He nodded eagerly, and she began the tale.

"One night I was traveling home after a long journey, when I was suddenly surrounded by ten rogue spirits that were possessing corpses. So, I did what any sensible bender _wouldn't_ do."

"You took 'em all at once!" The boy cried, waving his tiny fists as if he were the one engaging in a fierce battle.

"That's right little rabbit. Rather than calling for help or running away, I decided to fight. Luckily there were some moderately sized rocks nearby, so I lifted them up," she bended a few pebbles into her palm, "and-"

"Pow!" He shrieked as his mother launched the pebbles across the room. "And you knocked them all down!"

"All but one, he snuck up on me. It was about to do me in when-"

"When I rushed in and cut off its head." His father cut in. "And that's how I met my beautiful wife." His mother laughed and leaned over to give her husband a kiss.

"Will I be able to move rocks like you, mama?"

"Maybe so, A-Ying. Maybe so."

*****

The next month A-Ying and his parents went to visit a friend of theirs who lived in a town by a lake. He had never seen anything like Lotus Pier before; all the sights, the sounds, the people. He had never seen so many people, having grown up with only his parents around. Everything was so... Exciting! A-Ying couldn't help but run ahead of his parents, eager to take everything in.

As he was waving to a person on a boat that was harvesting seed pods, he ran into a pair of legs clothed in fine robes.

"Watch it, brat!" The man snapped. A-Ying backed away in fright and ran into his father's arms, who had just caught up with him and was accompanied by a stranger in purple.

"Forgive him sir, it's his first time in Lotus Pier," his father said, "he will be more careful next time."

"Hmph. There better not be a next time."

The man turned and stalked off, his day somehow ruined by a child bumping into him.

"A-Ying, please don't wander off like that," his mother scolded gently. A-Ying was only half listening as he focused on something over her shoulder. Suddenly they heard shouts of surprise and a loud splash, and saw the same man struggling to pull himself out of the lake.

"He wasn't very nice," A-Ying mumbled.

"What?"

"He wasn't very nice to me, so I pulled him into the water."

"A-Ying, how could you have done that?"

"I used the water to pull him into the lake," A-Ying said matter-of-factly. His parents exchanged confused looks

"Do you mean... Like this?" The stranger in purple waves his hands, and two tendrils of water rose out of the lake, curling gracefully. A-Ying looked unimpressed.

"Well, it was actually more like this." He thrust out his hand and a stream of water shot out and latched onto the stranger's ankle, and pulled him down into the water. Despite his shock the stranger managed to bend water to deposit himself back on shore. They all stared awestruck at A-Ying.

"Is there anything you two have forgotten to tell me, or do I have waterbender relatives?"

*****

"Did you get enough?"

"No, the rain is so heavy that it's soaked already."

"Guess we'll have to wait until it dries to light the fire. Or I might have to hurry and grab some, A-Ying is shivering."

The storm had hit sooner than expected, and his parents didn't have time to bring enough firewood into the house. The temperature was dropping rapidly as they debated their options.

"I could build a shelter from the earth to keep him warm while one of us goes out-"

"That could work, or maybe-"

They were suddenly interrupted by a loud whooshing noise. They whirled around to find the twigs and damp wood they had placed in the hearth ablaze.

"What just...?"

"How did...?"

A-Ying, who was sitting by the hearth, said through his chattering teeth, "I got c-cold, so I l-lit the fire."

"... A-Ying, what did you do?" His father asked slowly.

"This!" A-Ying held up his hand and a ball of fire ignited in his palm.

"What the hell?"

"How can you... Do that?"

"It's just like you taught me, mama. I can move rocks and earth, and I wanted to try it on water and fire too. You're not mad, right?"

"A-Ying," his mother picked him up and held him close, "how can I be mad when you can do something so special? No one has been able to bend more than one element for a hundred years. Don't hide your gift from anyone."

"I won't! It's too much fun!"

"Just be careful, little rabbit," his mother laughed.

******

_Mama..._

_Papa..._

It had been three days since his parents had left to take care of some rouge spirits that had been terrorizing villages. They said they would be back soon, and he believed them. They wouldn't leave him.

The food they had left was running out, though he had no trouble with getting water or staying warm. The worst part was the dogs that ventured in, thinking it was an abandoned house in the middle of the woods. They sniffed out his meager food supply and tried to take it. He managed to ward them with fire, but not before they bit and scratched him.

But it'll be alright, they will come home. There's nothing to worry about.

"Wei Ying?"

He looked up excitedly.

"Papa?"

It wasn't. The stranger in purple robes that he had met with his parents entered the house and knelt before him.

"D-do you know where my mama and papa are?" He whispered. The man looked down.

"I'm sorry A-Ying, but they're not coming back." A-Ying shook his head.

"No. They'll come back, they said so, they _promised_."

"Your parents died defending a family from a rouge spirit. I'm so sorry." A-Ying didn't even reply. He wept in the man's arms while crying out for his parents. It just didn't seem right. It wasn't fair. They said they would be back. They said they would never leave him. But there was nothing he could do now.

"I can take you home with me, I have a son who's your age, and a daughter a year older. I can teach you to master your bending. You'll have a good life.

"Really?" A-Ying said through his tears.

"Of course. Your parents were my best friends. I don't want to disappoint them."

So A-Ying left with him, to the start of a new life.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heck yeck chapter two!!! I must say, this went up sooner than expected, considering it's the longest thing I've ever written...  
> Anyways! I hope that you guys enjoy chapter two of Tainted!

The five sects have always lived together in harmony. Once starting as tightly knit families with focus on one element, they have expanded to include both nonbenders and benders of any element. The YunmengJiang sect had the most experience with water, surrounded by a wide lake dotted with lotus flowers. The misty mountains that housed the GusuLan sect provided the quiet nature best suited for those practicing with air. The LanlingJin and QingheNie sects both dealt with earth, though the Jin had taken to their new style of bending the tiny specks of earth within metal, and expanding their wealth. The blazing sun emblem of the QishanWen sect gleamed with the promise of fiery power.

But as the sects grow and reform, some spirits were growing angry and restless and were seeking revenge on the humans for their interference in the balance between humans and spirits. It worsened as the Wen Sect began taking over the smaller surrounding sects.

The main goal of the sects was to exorcise or kill these rogue spirits, as any attempt to reconcile with these vengeful spirits had failed. There was nothing else they could do.

Until now.

* * *

In all his fifteen years Wei WuXian had never expected to find himself tunneling through the earth to escape an angry sword instructor.

All he wanted was to sit in on one airbending class! But no! To be fair to the other disciples he had to take the weapon courses offered to the nonbenders. They were still fun, but he wanted to know what to do if he was suddenly thrown from a cliff with his hands tied! If he suddenly found himself dragged underwater by spirits! He needed these useful skills!

He knew enough fire and waterbending to pass as experienced, and he was taught earthbending at a young age, so all he needed now was air!

Wei WuXian sensed the other disciples above him, and parted the dirt to push himself up onto the sword training field.

"I was here the whole time, right guys?"

"Sure, Wei-xiong," the disciples replied, accustomed to Wei WuXian's regular disappearances and reappearances. Wei WuXian grabbed the sword he had discarded when the instructor's back was turned and began sparring with the nearest disciple. The frazzled instructor stormed up to him a few minutes later.

"Wei WuXian!"

"Yes! That's me!"

"Where were you just now?"

"I was right here, working on my sword forms, right?"

Everyone shouted their agreements, and Wei WuXian grinned.

"See? I've been studying the blade like a good disciple!" The instructor growled.

"I will be informing the Madame of your absence," he threatened. A murmur of fear raced through the crowd at the mention of Madame Yu.

"Ahahaha," Wei WuXian laughed uneasily, "Well, there go my lessons with Jiang Cheng and shijie."

* * *

"You skipped again?" Madame Yu seethed. Bits of lightning crackled in the air around her.

"I just don't see why I can't learn with the other disciples! If you let me attend the bending lessons I'll stop sneaking out of training!"

"A-Xian does have point, my lady. His power should not be restricted like this, it needs to grow. Which is why I will be sending you and Jiang Cheng to the GusuLan Sect for a year of studying." Jiang FengMian said. The boys gasped excitedly.

"Are we really going to Gusu?"

"Can I learn airbending?"

"Yes, you both will receive advanced training in fire and airbending. You will depart the day after tomorrow."

Wei WuXian whooped in delight and dragged his adopted brother away to chat about everything he would do. Jiang FengMian caught snippets of what sounded like "emperor's smile" and "bison".

"At least he'll be out of my way. And maybe they'll even teach him some discipline," Madame Yu muttered.

* * *

"Jiang Cheng! Hurry up! We'll miss the boat!" Wei WuXian whined as he dragged his brother over to the dock.

"I'm coming, I'm coming. I still can't see why we have to take a boat," Jiang Cheng grumbled.

"What, do you think the Lans are going to send a bison over to Lotus Pier every day? Nuh-uh. Let's go."

They boarded their boat and Jiang Cheng sat near the middle, clutching his stomach. "You're not sick already, are you?"

"You know I don't do well on the water."

Wei WuXian sighed and took his place on the port side. The captain stood on the starboard and they began pushing the boat through the water. His shijie taught him waterbending that he could use for swimming, or healing, or maybe steering a boat, and it was pretty useful. Though he didn't know if anything could be done for the firebender currently retching over the side of the boat.

"Firebenders, am I right?"

The trip took a few hours with a brief stop in a town at the foot of the mountain. Wei WuXian took this opportunity to buy a few jars of wine for later to celebrate his long awaited airbending training. He figured that he could stash it outside the walls of the Cloud Recesses and sneak out that night.

They met up with a Lan disciple that would fly them up the mountain to the Cloud Recesses. It was their first time seeing a real Sky Bison up close and they were a little intimidated by its size, but after Wei WuXian gave it a scratch under its chin it gave him a big lick.

The disciple flew them up to the gates of the Cloud Recesses and left them so they could enter with the other students. Wei WuXian quickly stashed his alcohol and met back up with Jiang Cheng. They pointed out some familiar faces in the crowd.

"Ugh, what's _he_ doing here?"

"Same as us. Don't you dare start anything that could embarrass A-Jie."

"Hmph. Fine. I bet he doesn't even make the stuff he gives her."

"Oh shut up."

"You know I'm right- hey look a lemur!"

Wei WuXian bounded over to where the lemur was perched on a rock and began to make excited chittering noises at it. He laughed when it responded, and they continued to talk for another two minutes.

Jiang Cheng just sighed and slapped his hand onto his face.

* * *

An hour after curfew Wei WuXian scaled the wall to grab his jars of wine. Getting over it was a little tedious, as he had to carve out footholds and cover them back up.

_"Just imagine! After one airbending class, you'll be able to do this in seconds!"_

He climbed back up to take a quick break before heading back to the dorms to drink 'til dawn. The sweet scent of the alcohol almost made him want to drink it right then and there, but he had more self restraint than that.

The sound of something landing on the roof behind him startled him, and Wei WuXian turned around.

_"Who else would be awake now?"_

To his surprise, it was a Lan Disciple. With his fair skin and white robes Wei WuXian nearly thought that he was a statue carved from a large piece of jade. To be perfectly honest he looked quite pretty.

"Nice night isn't it?"

No reply, but he appeared to be eyeing the jars of wine.

"Oh this? It's Emperor's Smile! I'll give you a jar if you pretend you never saw me!"

"Alcohol is prohibited in the Cloud Recesses."

"Ah! The angel speaks! No worries, I'll just drink it out here. I won't be breaking any rules then, right?"

Wei WuXian tore the seal of the jar off with his teeth, tipped his head back, and drank the wine in three gulps. He made sure to let a tiny bit trickle down his chin just to bother the disciple.

"There! Now, if you'll excuse me-"

"If you break curfew you must stay outside the walls until dawn," the disciple said, grabbing hold of the long wooden staff strapped to his back.

"Hey, wait a second, I'm going back right now!" The disciple rushed forward and slashed at him. "Well, if you insist," Wei WuXian teased as he drew his sword and charged forward. Just as he got close to the Lan Disciple he twirled his staff and a gust of wind rushed towards him. He dodged and leapt past the disciple, and noticed that he had brilliant gold eyes.

"Wow, you're an airbender! You know, I'll be starting lessons soon! Maybe we'll be in the same class!"

Wood and steel clashed again and again, and Wei WuXian managed to push the disciple back. Just as he was about to leap off the wall the disciple thrust his staff forward and hooked the jar of wine off his arm and threw it up into the air.

"No!" Wei WuXian cried as he desperately tried to catch it, but it smashed on the stone below.

* * *

"... So that's what happened last night."

Jiang Cheng and a boy from the Nie sect gaped at him

"Are you insane!?" Jiang Cheng finally exploded, "It hasn't even been a day and you've already broken three rules! At this rate you'll get kicked out!"

"Yeah Wei-xiong, and I heard there's a person in the Lan sect that matches that person's description. If it's really him..."

"Relax, both of you, especially Jiang Cheng, you have flames coming out of your ears again. Besides, it's not like I'll see him... Ever... Again."

Wei Wuxian's voice trailed off as they entered their classroom. One student was sitting with his back straight as a pin. The sunlight illuminated the features that Wei WuXian had only seen hours before in moonlight.

Oh no...

* * *

His first day of airbending training went very well in his opinion. Thankfully he didn't see that disciple again, probably because he was too good for the newbies. Wei WuXian learned how to blow currents of air of any size and strength, how to make himself appear to fly, and glide on the staff that was being crafted for him. Basically the whole day was great, except for one thing...

"What else did he say after he kicked me out?"

"That's all Lan QiRen said, that Lan WangJi would escort you to your punishment. You really should have kept quiet, Wei-xiong, especially after last night."

"Well how was I supposed to know that there's no clear way to tame an angry spirit?"

" ... Everyone knows. Mom knows. Dad knows. A-Jie knows. Hell, even HuaiSang knows! And you should too if you've ever paid attention to anything!"

"Well, there should be a way! Like turning malevolent energy into benevolent or something!"

"Will you give it a rest? Lan QiRen already explained that the spirit is most likely to reject the change, and even if it doesn't, the user takes on some of that malevolent energy!"

The three continued bickering and didn't hear a certain Lan disciple approach.

"Wei WuXian."

Their conversation ceased.

"Hm? Yes, I'm here!"

"Follow me." Lan WangJi didn't wait for him to follow before turning away. Wei WuXian shouted his goodbyes and hurried to catch up with Lan WangJi.

"So where are we going?"

Nothing.

"WangJi-xiong, where are we going?"

"WangJi? Lan WangJi?"

"Lan Zhan!"

That got his attention. Lan WangJi stopped to shoot an icy glare at Wei WuXian.

"Wait, wait, I just said that because you didn't respond. If you want, you can call me by my name."

They walked in silence a bit longer before Wei WuXian spoke again.

"Hey... Lan Zhan? Do you really hate me?"

Lan WangJi's expression didn't change except for his eyes shifting downward. Wei WuXian hurried to correct himself.

"Don't be like that, ignoring me after I only said a few words, I'm trying to apologize."

Lan WangJi still didn't say anything. "Fine then, I'll keep talking. I'm sorry for climbing the wall and drinking and fighting with you. Truth is, I didn't actually read the rules, and I wouldn't have done that if I had. Besides, who started the fight? Yeah, it was you, and if someone hits me, I have to hit them back. Lan Zhan, are you listening? Lan er gege?"

If Lan WangJi wasn't listening then, he sure was now. His hands clenched into fists at his sides.

"I'll be sure to tell my uncle to add another month onto your punishment."

"Lan Zhaaaaan!"

They arrived at a large open area tucked away in the mountains. Holes were carved out in the bottom of the mountain, and nestled in some of the holes were-

"Bison! Look at them Lan Zhan they're so cute!"

The rest of the bison were grazing in the grassy fields, or flying way above their heads. Wei WuXian had never seen so many before! One bison came down and landed in front of Lan WangJi, and nuzzled his shoulder. Lan WangJi rested his head against the brown arrow pattern on the bison's and fed him an apple that was hidden in his sleeve. The corners of his mouth were turned up slightly and his eyes weren't cold as he stroked the soft fur.

"Lan Zhan, is she your bison?" Lan WangJi nodded. Wei WuXian went over to pet his bison, and it gave a content groan and licked his face. "I think she likes me!"

Out of the corner of his eye he saw a person exit a shed on the other side of the field. It was the first woman Lan disciple that he had seen so far. She was an older lady with graying hair and crow's feet around her eyes, though Wei WuXian could see that she had a kind looking face. There were cloud patterns on her forehead ribbon.

"Ah, good afternoon, WangJi. Here to check on Bichen?" Lan WangJi bowed respectfully.

"Good afternoon, cousin, I have also brought the student my uncle may have told you about."

"So this is the one who spoke out in class," she said, looking him up and down, "I'll put you to work right away."

"Really?! What will I be doing? Grooming them? Feeding them? Oh, or taking care of the babies?" He exclaimed, eyes sparkling in delight as if he wasn't supposed to be rethinking the error of his ways through labor.

The lady stuck a shovel in the ground in front of him.

Wei Wuxian's face fell.

"You will be doing the dirty work. Now let's go, my bison need clean beds tonight, chop-chop!" She ordered. Wei WuXian grabbed the shovel and took off right away.

"Yes ma'am! Right away ma'am!"

Lan WangJi flew up and landed on top of his bison.

"I'm taking Bichen out. We'll be back in a while."

"Take care WangJi."

* * *

Wei Wuxian's next few hours consisted of shoveling soiled bedding out of the caves and spreading clean straw. With what little airbending training he had he was able to send a current of air through the cave and blow the soiled straw into the wheelbarrow the lady provided. She was occupied with filling some large troughs with hay and fruits and vegetables.

"So, what's your name?" She asked to break the silence.

"I'm Wei Ying, courtesy name WuXian! I'm from Yunmeng!"

"It's been a long time since I've been to Lotus Pier. Is it still as lovely as ever?"

"Oh yes! The flowers were in full bloom when I left for Gusu. Jiang Cheng and Shijie and I spent the whole day before gathering seed pods to eat, and Shijie made her soup!"

He babbled on about his family and Lotus Pier as the lady listened, smiling softly at his descriptions.

"What about you, Madame Lan?"

"I'm not really a Madame, just the cousin of QingHeng-zun. My name is Lan JingHua, and I'm in charge of the bison here. I raise them from birth and when each member of the Lan Clan comes of age, a bison chooses them. But I mostly feed, clean, and house them."

"That's amazing! So everyone gets a bison? Do you have one? Do you think Lan Zhan will give me a ride someday?" Lan JingHua laughed.

"It's been so long since I've heard someone ask so many questions. Yes, everyone in the Lan Clan gets a bison, but we've made exceptions for a few very talented airbenders outside of the clan. I do have a bison, his name is XìnXìn. And it's up to Lan WangJi whether he'll give you a ride or not. He has never had many friends, and people have always been scared of his..." She gestured to her face, "but he seems to like you."

"He does? But... I was sure he hated me!"

"Ask him about it some time. But for now, help me fill these troughs, it's getting late." Wei WuXian grabbed bundles of hay and lined the bottom of the troughs while Lan JingHua dumped buckets of fruits and vegetables on top. "Watch this," she said when they were finished, and took a whistle out from her sleeve. She blew a high piercing note and bison flew in from all over to feast on the meal provided.

"Wow..." Wei WuXian breathed, "They're... Breathtaking!"

* * *

Every day after his airbending training Wei WuXian went over to the bison fields for his punishment. It wasn't much of a punishment, well, maybe for some, but Wei WuXian found it fun.

"Hey, Madam Lan? Why did Lan QiRen send me over here? Like, I could be copying verses in the library pavilion right now, so why here?" Lan JingHua looked up from where she was massaging soap suds onto a bison calf.

"This is reserved for special cases. Writing verses is the usual punishment, but all that does is cramp up your hands. Here you can get a deeper understanding of our sect, as bison were the original airbenders. He sees great things in you."

"Heh, I never would have known that! Thanks!"

"You're welcome. Now help me rinse this rascal off." Wei WuXian grinned as he bended water from a bucket and rinsed the mud and soap off the calf. "You know, Lan QiRen is going to a Discussion Conference tomorrow, so you won't have classes. That also means that you don't need to come here for a little while."

"Really?" Wei WuXian didn't know whether to be excited or disappointed. "I like coming here, I like talking with you."

"As happy as that statement makes me, you should go out and have fun! No use hanging around an old lady every day."

"Well... I guess Jiang Cheng and Nie HuaiSang and I could go into town. I'll bring you something really nice! I promise!"

* * *

The two of them ended up joining Lan WangJi and his older brother Lan XiChen on their quest to exterminate some rowdy water spirits. Nie HuaiSang decided to stay back and study so he wouldn't incur his older brother's wrath. Jiang Cheng and Wei WuXian also had the most experience with dealing with water spirits.

Wei WuXian, Lan WangJi, and disciples from other sects were on boats while Lan XiChen and Jiang Cheng were on Lan XiChen's bison, Liebing. The nets Lan XiChen had placed in a lake outside of CaiYi Town, which was a few miles away from the Cloud Recesses, had come up full of water spirits. They were now patrolling the lake in search of these spirits.

Wei WuXian felt the energy of the water around him. There was obviously something very wrong with this lake. The malevolent energy lurking under the surface seemed to be too strong for just some pissed off water spirits. There was something bigger.

He glanced over at Lan Zhan to tell him what he discovered but saw something strange. Why was Lan Zhan's boat lower than everyone else's? He doesn't weigh _that_ much, right? Unless...

"Lan Zhan! Look at me! Look at me!"

He looks and Wei WuXian waves his arm and lifts his boat clean out of the water, accidentally getting some water on Lan WangJi's pristine robes and accidentally-on-purpose dousing Jin ZiXuan. Lan WangJi leapt onto someone else's boat and they all stared at the water spirits clinging to the bottom of his boat. Their claws dug into the wood, the tattered clothing of the drowned victims they possessed dripped with water, and their hair writhed like the tentacles of some deep sea creature.

"How did you know that they were below the boats, Young Master Wei?" Lan XiChen called.

"Easy! The boat was sitting too low in the water for just one person to be in it, so there must have been something underneath!"

"Amazing!"

Wei WuXian pushed his boat up alongside Lan WangJi's, who shot him the same icy glare.

"Sorry 'bout that Lan Zhan, I couldn't alert the spirits to my plan, they can hear everything! Lan Zhan, don't ignore me, look at me!"

"Why are you here?" Lan WangJi asked stoically.

"Right now I'm trying get catch some water spirits, but I'm also trying to get you to like me!" Lan WangJi's eyes widened a fraction of an inch.

"You-"

The water turned darker as it began to toss and turn, and wrinkled hands grabbed on to the sides of the boats. Wei WuXian slashed at them with his sword that he brought from home, since it was his best means of defense. He occasionally shot out a blast of fire where his sword couldn't reach.

"Your skill with a blade is excellent," Lan WangJi said when they beat back the water spirits, "does it have a name?" Wei WuXian gave him a shit-eating grin.

"Suibian!"

Lan WangJi stared at him as if he couldn't believe what he just heard. Wei WuXian repeated it again and Lan WangJi shook his head.

"It is improper to call your weapon just anything."

"That's really its name, Lan Zhan! I couldn't think of a name so I called it 'Whatever '." Even the scabbard read 'Suibian' when Wei WuXian held it up.

"Ridiculous."

Before Wei WuXian could defend his naming choices any longer, Jiang Cheng shouted out that something was coming again. A dark shadow underwater raced toward the boats and rocked them precariously. The air and waterbenders got off of theirs quickly, and Lan XiChen worked on rescuing any earth or firebenders. He looked over at Wei WuXian.

"Wei WuXian! Guide my staff underwater to find out what this is!"

He and Lan WangJi threw their staffs like spears down into the swirling waves. Wei WuXian felt their presences and manipulated the water to send their staffs where they needed. Something grabbed onto the staffs but he jerked them back on course. They breached the surface and found black masses of hair and clothing impaled on the staffs.

"Just some clothing? Well, it wouldn't have been able to get caught in the nets, but it's too powerful to grab something out of my control, so there must be something else under there," Wei WuXian said. Lan WangJi looked like he was thinking quite hard on something, and suddenly jerked his head up.

"We need to leave now. The spirits led us here."

Suddenly the water opened up into an enormous, black, swirling whirlpool. Tendrils of water shot up and tried to knock them out of the air or off their pillars of water. Wei WuXian raised his arms and froze the whirlpool in its place. It twitched and tried to escape but he held it fast.

"Everyone go! Hurry!"

One kid who was knocked from the air struggled to pull himself out of the waves. Wei WuXian managed to move a finger to make a column of water and lift him out. His entire body shook with the effort it took to hold the whirlpool still and lift the boy out. He managed to get him high enough for Lan XiChen to pull him up into Liebing's saddle.

But it was too much for Wei WuXian to hold for such a long time. As soon as he knew the boy was safe he collapsed. His energy was just... Gone. He plummeted down to the water that was preparing to swallow him up-

A hand grabbed his collar. Wei WuXian's eyes flew open and he smiled weakly.

"Heya Lan Zhan, thanks for coming back. You really could've grabbed my hand or something."

"I do not have physical contact with others."

"Sure, Lan Zhan."

* * *

"This phenomenon is known as a Waterborne Abyss," Lan XiChen explains once they get back to CaiYi Town, "It occurs when a body of water with regular shipwrecks and drownings begins to develop a personality, and if it doesn't receive regular sacrifices of boats and humans, it will work to obtain them in its own."

"The people here are familiar with water, so how could sunken ships and drownings happen, it would be impossible." Lan WangJi said. Lan XiChen pointed up to where the sun had reached its highest point.

Everyone figured it out right away. The QishanWen sect of course would have driven the abyss downstream from their territory. That was how they handled things, and no one dared to speak up against it.

As they passed the shore Wei WuXian spotted a young woman selling loquats.

"Sister! How much for half a basket?" She giggled at his request.

"A handsome boy like you needn't pay, I'll give you one for free!"

"Well, if it's from you, then I definitely want it!" Wei WuXian flirted back. He caught a loquat effortlessly and winked. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Lan WangJi staring at him. "Sister! Isn't this one handsome?" Lan WangJi quickly looked away as the woman shouted her agreement and Wei WuXian convinced her to give him another loquat so Lan WangJi didn't become jealous of him. Jiang Cheng floated over on his boat.

"I can't believe you," he muttered. Wei WuXian smirked.

"Envious of my success, are we?" He bought another jar of wine and moved up next to Lan WangJi. "Hey Lan Zhan, think you could teach me how to swear in the Gusu dialect?"

"Ridiculous!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!  
> My Tumblr is @phantomhydeoftheopera if you want talk!  
> Chapter three should be ready soon!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ack sorry this one took longer to get up a lot of things happened like college and writer's block but! Here it is! Enjoy!

The next few days that Lan Qiren was gone were probably the best days of Wei Wuxian's young life. And not because Lan Qiren was gone. Well, mostly.

He and his friends made an actual visit to CaiYi Town, with no spirits or whirlpools involved, to eat and drink to their heart’s content. To buy wherever useless junk caught their eyes. And most importantly to gather whatever supplies they need to throw the party they all deserved after sitting through _hours_ and _hours_ of the history of the GusuLan Sect and humanity's many failed attempts at reconciling with resentful spirits.

Wei Wuxian did keep his promise to bring something nice back for Lan Jinghua. Even if he didn't have to go scoop poop for five hours a day he still liked to visit with her and have tea and chat. Lan Wangji would always walk with him to the bison caves and fly with Bichen for a while.

"I found this hanging in a store window and I just _had_ to buy it. It sure sounds nice, and shouldn't make too much noise." He handed the bison shaped wind chime with clear glass beads dangling from it to Lan Jinghua.

"Oh, how pretty!" She turned it around so the glass reflected the light. The beads jingled lightly with the motion.

"The other guys and I are going to have a party in our room later with all the other things we bought!"

"I'm sure that will be fun for you," Lan Jinghua said, "how is your airbending?"

"So much fun! Teacher moved me up to the advanced class since I learned everything so quickly, and now I get to be in a class with Lan Zhan! We did a mock fight and he totally blew me away, pun intended. My ribbon flew off, though, and I don’t know where it went. But! I got my staff!" He picked up the staff made from shiny black wood. He tapped the end on the ground to unfurl the red silk wings.

"I'm happy that everything is going well for you," Lan Jinghua said. She drank the rest of her tea and stood up. "What do you say we go for a flight?

"Really? Can we go!?"

"I don't see why not." Lan Jinghua hung her new wind chime in the window of her house and grabbed her staff out of the corner. "I must say, I haven't flown in a while, so I may be a bit rusty."

"I'll try to slow down so you can keep up. I wouldn't want you to strain yourself," Wei Wuxian teased.

"Is that a challenge?" She unfurled her staff and threw it up, flicked her finger to send a current of air towards it, leapt up and landed perfectly on top. "Try keeping up now!"

"Hey! Wait for me!" He jumped onto his glider and sped off after her. Lan Jinghua disappeared into a cloud and Wei Wuxian parted the moisture so he could see where he was flying. Below him he could see the entire Cloud Recesses. He swooped lower and spotted Jiang Cheng in training dueling with another firebender. He shot a fireball at his opponent who dodged the attack and the fireball flew right at Wei Wuxian. "Oi! Watch it! I'm flying here!"

He flew farther and saw Lan Wangji walking over to the library pavilion. He blew a gust of wind and made Lan Wangji's hair flutter around his shoulders. "Hey Lan Zhan! Look at me!"

He did look up instead of ignoring him. He really didn't want to admit it, but Wei Wuxian thought that Lan Wangji, with his hair floating behind him and gold eyes wide, looked kind of... Beautiful.

Lan Jinghua called for him to follow her and flew up into the mountains. Hundreds of bison were scattered around, grazing on the mountain grass or flying in clusters. Wei Wuxian landed next to a group of calves that were playfully headbutting and tumbling about. He began to chase them around and try to catch them and cuddle them. They were just too cute!

A bison with longer horns came over to Lan Jinghua and nudged her shoulder. She gave it a scratch behind the ears and beckoned Wei Wuxian over.

"Who's this handsome boy?" Wei Wuxian cooed, "is he yours?"

"Yes, this is my XìnXìn. He chose me when I was a child and he's been my best friend ever since."

"How did he choose you?"

"When a generation of Lan children reached six years old they are presented in front of the calves born that year," she explained. "Each calf chooses the child they like best and they are bonded for life. A disciple of the sect that's not part of the clan receives their bison when they finish their training." Lan Jinghua then smiled sadly. "Part of it is so that those who don’t have a partner will have a lifelong companion. We greatly value relationships because of the founder of our sect, and the love between bison and airbender is one of the strongest I have ever seen."

That certainly made sense, Wei Wuxian thought. The only people Lan Wangji was comfortable around were his brother and uncle, but seemed to relax even further when around Bichen. And Lan Xichen and his bison ShuoYue seemed to read each other's minds. He still had one more question for Lan Jinghua.

"Do you have a husband?"

Lan Jinghua froze for a second but then looked up with a sad smile.

"I was once. He perished on a night hunt years ago, and I miss him very much. I'm not completely alone, however; my daughter is in training to be an airbender and she's just a few years older than you. And if course I have XìnXìn," she gave her bison an affectionate pat. "I think it might be feeding time. Let's go do that and you can get back to your friends."

* * *

"Chug! Chug! Chug!"

Wei Wuxian drank the bright red broth as fast as he could. The liquid burned his tongue in a pleasant way as he swallowed, letting fake tears well up in his eyes. He held a fist over his mouth as he turned away from the other boys, then turned back around as he let loose a belch accompanied by a burst of flames from his mouth.

The boys collapsed into laughter as one begrudgingly tossed a few coins in Wei Wuxian's direction.

"Don't underestimate the power of the YunmengJiang sect or my spice tolerance!"

"Anyone else want a go at him?" Jiang Cheng challenged. One boy grabbed his jar of wine and drank the rest of it.

"I dare you to buy me another jar!"

"That's it? Everyone better finish theirs too, next round is on me!"

The journey down to CaiYi Town was considerably easier than last time, though Wei Wuxian had a little trouble balancing on his glider after drinking a whole jar of Emperor's Smile. When the sky began pouring down water he formed a shield from the rain.

He landed back on the walls of the Cloud Recesses and attempted to sneak back in but was confronted by a familiar figure holding an umbrella.

"Lan Zhan, we've _got_ to stop meeting like this," he slurred, doing his best to hide his newly purchased jars behind his back. Wei Wuxian tried to slide past Lan Wangji but he was blocked. "Hey, what's going on?"

"You've violated curfew too many times. Take your punishment in the ancestral hall." Wei Wuxian rolled his eyes.

"There's only the two of us here, nobody else has to know that I broke curfew or you let me get away. I can promise you that there won't be a next time if you're unsatisfied, but since we're so close you can do me this one small favor?"

Lan Wangji was nearly shaking with anger by then and drew his staff.

"Not close," he said before charging at Wei Wuxian. He dodged the attacks with the best of his ability, but considering that he had been drinking his mind was a bit... Hazy.

"C'mon Lan Zhan, let me go!"

"Take your punishment," he repeated.

Wei Wuxian figured that there was nothing else he could do, so he did something incredibly foolish. He rushed forward, grabbed Lan Wangji by the middle, and pitched themselves over the wall.

They landed hard on the wet grass and Wei Wuxian saw stars. He could feel Lan Wangji gasp at the impact but he made no attempt to escape.

"Look, now we're both outside the walls, and we both broke curfew, so if you want to punish me you'd have to punish yourself as well. Equal treatment, right?"

Lan Wangji didn't answer. He lay still underneath Wei Wuxian with an unreadable expression, his robes drenched in the rain. "Lan Zhan, say something."

He still didn't, and Wei Wuxian's alcohol fogged mind was starting to think of how to make him respond. But... Lan Zhan looked prettier than usual when he was soaking wet...

"Lan er ge, I'm afraid you leave me no choice." He leaned down and, though his mind could have thought of a million things to do other than this, and lightly pressed his lips against Lan Zhan's. His skin was warm despite the cold rain, and his lips were just as soft as they looked. Lan Zhan was rigid, his eyes blown wide with shock. It took Wei Wuxian a few seconds to realize what _exactly_ he was doing and he broke away from Lan Zhan.

"Shit, Lan Zhan, I'm so sorry I didn't mean to," he said rapidly. Lan Wangji stood up and stared at him with a mix of fear and bewilderment, but no anger. "I promise I won't tell anyone, Lan Zhan, no one has to know, just... I'm sorry!" Wei Wuxian grabbed his jars of wine and flew back to his room. Jiang Cheng greeted him angrily when he stepped through the door.

"What took you so long, huh? We thought Lan Wangji caught you again!"

"Haha, what? Have some faith in me, Jiang Cheng! I don't get caught that often!" Wei Wuxian laughed uneasily. He held the unharmed jars aloft. "Here it is boys, drink up!"

* * *

Wei Wuxian awoke the next morning with a pounding headache. He lifted his head and looked around the room with bleary eyes, his loose hair falling across his face. Everyone had fallen asleep last night right where they were; scattered across the room like fallen leaves. Jiang Cheng was clinging to Nie Huaisang's waist and snoring like a pig. Wei Wuxian stumbled to his feet and stretched, only then realizing that the pounding in his head was actually somebody pounding on the door.

Nie Huaisang jerked awake at the noise and bumped his head on the floor. He sat up and didn't notice as Jiang Cheng slid off him and banged his head.

"Ow... Damn it..."

"Wei-xiong, what's going on?"

"I don't know." he dragged his feet over to the door and rubbed his arms to ward off the morning chill. The door was wrenched open before he could get to it, revealing a stunned Lan Wangji.

"Wei Ying-" he started but paused when he saw the room in disarray and the boys sprawled everywhere. His eyes widened when he saw one of Wei Wuxian's treasured porn books and the empty jars of wine. He shot a horrified look at Wei Wuxian.

"Lan Zhan, it's not what it looks like, we were just-"

But he didn't get to finish. Lan Wangji grabbed him by the collar of his robes and dragged him out of the room without another word. Wei Wuxian cried out in protest, which woke up the other boys and they rushed out after him.

“Wait what’s happening, where are you taking him?”

“Wei-xiong, what’s going on?”

Lan Wangji turned to look at them without stopping.

“To receive his punishment,” he said through gritted teeth.

“His… what?” Jiang Cheng tried to process those words through his enormous hangover, but he didn’t forget how they dared Wei Wuxian to break rules last night, and broke countless rules themselves.

As he was being dragged along Wei Wuxian noticed something wound around Lan Wangji’s wrist.

“Lan Zhan, is that my ribbon?” He didn’t reply.

The boys followed Lan Wangji as he dragged Wei Wuxian into the Lan Ancestral Hall and dropped him in front of a group of older disciples. They forced Wei Wuxian to his knees and held up four long rulers inscribed with characters. Wei Wuxian knew exactly what would happen next.

“Lan Zhan, are you really going to let just _me_ be punished?”

Lan Wangji stared coldly ahead as he too sank to his knees to everyone’s shock. Even Wei Wuxian tried to protest. “Wait, I’ll accept this, Lan Zhan, please don’t-”

“Strike.”

“Lan Zhan don’t- ah!”

Wei Wuxian screamed as the disciples with the boards struck him hard on the back. He fell forward as much as he could, though Lan Wangji barely even flinched. Another strike was dealt and Wei Wuxian wailed, but Lan Wangji just fisted his robes in his hands. A hundred strikes each were dealt and Wei Wuxian collapsed when they were finally over, and Jiang Cheng had to carry him out. Lan Wangji looked like he was about to get up and leave as well, but he seemed to decide against it.

“Another fifty.”

“Are you sure?” one disciple questioned, “you’re the one who didn’t have to-”

“Do it.”

Fifty more strikes and he still walked out without assistance.

As expected, Jiang Cheng was furious when he found out the reason behind this whole ordeal… minus a certain detail that Wei Wuxian chose to leave out of his retelling of the night before.

“You’re lucky I’m carrying you and didn’t decide to leave you on the floor.”

“Shut up. I’m injured, meanie.”

Thankfully Zewu-jun directed him to the cold spring or else Wei Wuxian would have had a miserable next few days.

* * *

That night he followed the path that Zewu-jun described and found himself at a secluded corner of the Cloud Recesses with a waterfall spilling into a small spring. He could see that Lan Wangji was already there soothing his wounds in the ice cold water. Wei Wuxian hid behind a bush and bended a stream of water up to tap on Lan Wangji’s shoulder. It fell back down when he turned around. Wei Wuxian did the same thing again on the other shoulder and stifled his laughter when Lan Wangji turned around and grabbed at air.

This time Wei Wuxian made the stream of water twine around the long end of Lan Wangji’s forehead ribbon that was trailing in the water. He had only made it give the ribbon the slightest tug when Lan Wangji whipped around and slapped the stream of water out of the air.

“Who’s there?” He called out. Wei Wuxian emerged from his hiding spot.

“Just me, Lan Zhan!” Lan Wangji’s face hardened.

“How did you get in?”

“Zewu-jun told me! He said that the water has special spiritual power!” He dipped his foot in. “But I don’t understand why it has to be so cold… Well, here I go!” Wei Wuxian took a running leap and splashed down into the spring. Lan Wangji blew away the drops of water that landed on himself. “Eep! It’s freezing!”

“Stop moving around.”

“Lan Zhan, you’re not cold? I guess a frigid guy like you wouldn’t be bothered.” Lan Wangji ignored that comment and ordered him to stop again, this time putting his hand on Wei Wuxian’s shoulder. Wei Wuxian actually felt warmer from his touch and shifted closer. “Lan Zhan, your side seems warmer- hey, come back!” Lan Wangji just turned away, but Wei Wuxian could see the dark bruises marring his flesh. “You know, you really didn’t have to punish yourself today, but you did it anyway. I don’t think I’ve seen anyone take a hundred and fifty hits like that. I really admire you.”

Wei Wuxian really should have known that Lan Wangji would not have responded to that.

“Lan Zhan, what I want to know is why you took more hits than me. I broke more rules, so why you and not me?”

“I… deserved it.”

“What? No! It was really me who should have-” he stopped talking as something clicked in his mind. “Lan Zhan,” Wei Wuxian said slowly, “this isn’t about the… kiss, is it?” Lan Wangji flinched and moved to get out of the water. “Wait wait, don’t go… is it because you liked it too?”

Realizing his slip of the tongue Wei Wuxian mentally slapped himself. “W-wait, I mean- ah-” he panicked and completely missed Lan Wangji’s whispered reply. “Here, forgetting all of the misunderstandings between us, how about we just be friends?”

Lan Wangji fixed him with his usual blank expression before getting out of the spring.

“Fine.”

“Yay! You won’t regret this, Lan Zhan, I’ll be the best friend you’ve ever had.”

And Wei Wuxian did try to be Lan Wangji’s friend, trying to forget their strange encounter in the rain. But it only lasted until he punched Jin Zixuan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hopefully the next one won't take as long. Believe me, I want the chapters to be updated just as much as you guys do.  
> Feel free to leave kudos or a comment! My tumblr is @phantomhydeoftheopera if you want to talk!

**Author's Note:**

> My Tumblr is @phantomhydeoftheopera if you want to talk! Please leave kudos or a comment!
> 
> And I hopefully won't take long with the update.


End file.
